Somewhere between 3 & 4 stars, especially if you like Dick Francis. Light English mystery that keeps you entertained and is a super easy read.

An Englishman in Moscow in the 70’s… much to think about with the world situation being what it is.

It’s fine; it got a little slow in the middle but picked up

Another great everyman mystery by my best pal, Dick Francis. Travel back to 1978, during the Cold War with Russia. We are scared of them, they are scared of us.

Randall Drew, ex-steeplechaser and general all-around good chap, is sent over to do some spying. By the Prince, no less. How would you say no to him? The mystery is a little unclear in places, but it all comes together by the end.

If you like horses, Russian-US Cold War, mysteries, and good guy main characters, you should check this one out. 3 enjoyable stars.

to iste ako ta knizka predtym. citala som pred rokmi a teraz zase a teda nic moc. dick francis zboznuje vytvarat protagonistov, ktorymi su 30something bieli britski muzi co sa tvaria akoze self deprecating ale zaroven im vsetko ide ako zazrakom, pocas pribehu sa ich aspon trikrat niekto pokusi umlatit k smrti a zaroven si najdu o 10 rokov mladsiu frajerku bez toho aby sa akokolvek snazili

Emma girlfriend of Randall Drew. RD is sent to Moscow to investigate threats against a royally-connected candidate for the Moscow Olympic Games.

Johnny Farringford, candidate for the Moscow Olympic Games, attacked by two and crashes car into Randall Drew's car - turned out as RD surmised theat JF self inflicted the wounds made up the story of the two men who spoke English assents. Fainted and thus crashed the car at sight of his own blood. Confressed when challenged at story's end. He was interestred in porn and other off limits sex thus a target for been a turned informer for the Russian. Key person trainer of Olymoic team started rumor of Alyosha would get him if he went to Russia because ashamed of own countries action in the blackmail scheming. Story iniatlly to RD Warned off Alyosha (RD found out that affection name for Alexi male name) It was thought name referred to woman at first. Visited key person of Russian. Malcolm Eric media the watch Steven interpreter at Moscow university.
Boris Russian team horse rider on train overheads some english said Hans Cramer was example of killing and can do more depends on money. This at a secret meeting taken to by British embassy staff employee Ian Young.

Misha Russian olympic rider at site where Hans Cramer (German team) died. Last words Hans Cramer I am dying it's Alyosha Moscow I'm dying. God help me." Max Cramer involved called death drug Alyosha and went to last school of 8 for disturbed pupils. Taught to deal with problem by hating everything. Terrorist teaching that was the same for others at the time.

Early 1970's Moscow noted as oppressive for foreigners and citizens. All watched and communications monitored. Assume that was the state at that time. (Another commentor states that was as portrayed in 1950's Western propaganda. WILL NEED TO FIND INDEPENDENCE INFORNATION AT SOME TIME).

- Randall Drew is a succesful jockey, forced off the track by the authorities because he wears glasses. He is has a farm likes the British Royal family. While visiting chief person of training Russian riders hyperdrome where the meeting Misa. Horse and RD live threaten by hourse box driven at him and escapes by mounting horse and riding out of the way.
Randall solves by knowing the drugs invovled. Drugs that absorbed through the skin and killed looking like a heart attack.Two key purshasers of drugs and antidote are two other journalist in same compund as the say sport journalish Max Harrington. Who did the sale at a rip off price and killed later by same two as ripped them off. Same two tried to kill RD by taking glassed to disable RD who could not see at all without. Threw him in the river. Later caught by Colennal KGB.
Terrorist plot foiled.
Excelleant story
suspect veterinary chemistry claims.

A convoluted plotline and not up to the usual Dick Francis standard.

This has to be, to my mind at least, the weakest of the novels written by Dick Francis. And, at least in the editions I own, it also has to win the prize for weirdest cover art.

The story opens when an amateur jockey and horse trainer named Randall Drew is approached by a member of the royal family with a special assignment. The prince's brother-in-law, a jockey named Johnny Farrington, would like to ride in the upcoming Olympic Games which are to be held in Moscow. But rumors are circulating that if Farrington should go to Russia, he might be entrapped in a scandal involving someone named Alyosha. The prince wants Drew to go to Moscow and nose around to see what the scandal might involve and determine whether Farrington or the royal family might be potentially embarrassed.

Apparently, there are no British agents already in the Soviet Union that might check out these rumors and so Drew reluctantly agrees to go. He gets to Moscow, meets some people, asks some questions, and gets beaten up a lot. The plot is preposterous and much more resembles a spy novel than a typical Dick Francis thriller. It strongly suggests that Francis wanted to take a trip to Moscow and write it off as a business expense, and thus attempted to get a book out of his vacation.

I had a great deal of difficulty following the plot and sorting out the characters after I was about a third of the way into the book, although this may well be because by then I had simply stopped caring about any of it and finished it only out of a sense of duty. A generous 2.5 stars, rounded up to three because I can't bring myself to give Dick Francis 2.5.

An interesting read with espionage in Moscow in the late 1970s. Randall an aristocrat is asked to go to Moscow in winter to see if a relative of the Prince could come a cropper. Set before the 1980 Olympics we get a feel for Russians living in fear and several attempts on Randall’s life when he gets to close to the truth.

Some of the episodes are far fetched like surviving a fall in a Moscow river in winter. Francis does capture the tense secretive atmosphere of communist Russia. Murder, beatings and escape are as always entertaining under Francis’s penmanship.

I felt entirely wrapped up in the reality of Moscow and it felt very real and believable. Can’t fault a Dick Francis book ever. Really likeable main character.

Listened to on Audible.
Not my favourite Dick Francis! Not because of the writing, the story moves rapidly and holds the reader's attention. I'm just not a fan of storues about Russia during the cold war... purely a matter of taste.

A good read

I have read this book several times and a tv programme about Russia reminded me of it. Ive always thought it was one of Francis's better books. Reads at a good pace, descriptive and has element's of intrigue and mystery. Cleverly using the horse 'world' to support the theme of the story where the main character visits Russia to try to solve a mystery. He meets a range of characters both european and Russian providing a little insight into Russia and Russian society of that time.